San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama put up 31 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, blocked 6 shots and dished out six assists in Sunday's 117-105 win vs. the Indiana Pacers. It's the latest in a string of performances in which the generational talent has put together incredible stat lines. It's also not what his Hall of Fame head coach, Gregg Popovich, finds most impressive about him.
“We all see that he has skills, whether it's blocking shots, making an important three, making a steal, whatever it may be. But the most — not surprising — but unique quality he has at his age is the composure you just talked about,” the longest-tenured coach in the NBA says about the 20-year-old phenom.
“If it's a good play, if it's a bad play, he's the same. He's class all the time on the court and his teammates realize that he's mature way beyond his years. And he proves it every night.”
Victor Wembanyama's uncommon composure
For his part, Victor Wembanyama feels what Gregg Popovich describes.
Well aware of a demeanor not common among folks who have just left their teen years, the French marvel knows his teammates rely on his body language.
“Every team needs some people they need to rely on. Sometimes it's the coach or the players. For me, there's no way to lose my composure or even send a negative image to my teammates. Even when I miss, I don't shake my send. Don't send any bad messages to my team. Keep that to myself.”
Spurs Forward Jeremy Sochan, who added 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in his own right, sees the impact on the team.
“I think it all comes down to communication and acknowledging, understanding what kind of situation we are in and what is happening in the present and just talking about it.”
Contagious composure for Spurs
For a second straight game, the now 13-48 Spurs beat a good team. And after knocking off an Oklahoma City Thunder squad that's atop the West on Thursday, for the second straight game, they did so by outplaying a postseason-bound squad.
“Just continue to execute. I feel like every team makes runs and they're making runs, it takes great execution and great teamwork and doing all the little things to be able to withstand that run and fire back,” Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said.
Perhaps taking a cue from their leading scorer for the night and for the season, Sochan echoes Wembanyama's focus when it comes to being on the same page.
“Get to certain plays that we know we're going to get success from. Defensively, locking in, talking on screens, who's on help and it's important to communicate in those types of times and keep your composure in that way.”
The Spurs hope it's a trend they continue to close out a rough season. Johnson sees light at the end of what's been a long tunnel.
“I feel like we just continue to stay together and continue to listen to our coaches but also just clean up the little things when things aren't going our way and we're not making shots so that the worm will turn.”
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